All components of Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s emergency notification system – e-mail, voice mail, text messages and campus sirens – will be tested on Friday, Nov. 20, at 2 p.m. The sirens, installed on Elwell Hall, McCormick Hall and on the upper campus, will alert the campus community when vital emergency information is available via e-mail, voice mail and text message.

All BU students and registered faculty and staff will receive a test e-mail message on Friday. Test voice mail and text messages also will be sent to those who opted to receive notification in these formats.

BU tests the emergency notification system once each semester.

So as to not exclude those who are under 21 from more fun then they are already missing out on, here’s the gist. $2 Bob is an older man that goes to the bars and hands out $2 bills to girls that he encounters. He wears a $2 Bob hat, so you can’t miss him in the crowds, and carries tons of personalized $2 Bob trinkets with him. Most girls find him creepy, but after talking to Bob for a few minutes one night, I realized that he’s not a “creepy old man”, but in reality, he’s harmless and actually quite introverted.

$2 Bob poses with editor Heather Delp

After wondering about $2 Bob for too long, I decided to ask him if he would do an interview for BU Now. I knew that there had to be an interesting story behind this man and I wanted people to see that he’s not as bad as some might think. He had no problem with it, and after a couple months I was finally able to track him down on Thursday night at Good Old Days for a chat.

I found $2 Bob roaming around upstairs, so I brought him down to the table where my friends and I were sitting. As we passed the bar, Bob asked me if I wanted a drink. I didn’t think drinking another would be great for my interviewing skills, but I didn’t want to be rude, so of course I accepted. I got out my list of questions, pulled up a chair for Bob, and away we went.

$2 Bob is a 62-year-old man who has been married for 40 years. He is the father of three sons, and the grandfather of six grandchildren, with the oldest being five. He is looking forward to Christmas when his family will be reunited and he will be able to see all of his grandkids from Arkansas, Boston, and Pennsylvania. He is the president of a local insurance company and has a business degree from Penn State. Bob likes to go to the movies with his wife on the weekends, and when I asked him what his wife is doing right now, he said “reading”.

One of my big questions for Bob was what his wife thinks about him frequenting the bars. He replied, “as long as I don’t drink and only go out 2-3 nights a week, it’s tolerated”. Yes, you read right, $2 Bob doesn’t drink. You will almost always see him with a drink in hand, but it’s usually soda or cranberry juice. His drink of choice used to be gin and tonic with lime, or a Corona with lime. Fortunately, $2 Bob has been sober since August 30, 1998, which is over eleven years of sobriety.

The front of $2 Bob's business card

$2 Bob said his problem with alcohol started as a way to “self-medicate for severe OCD”, which is obsessive complusive disorder. It was his wifes idea for him to become sober, but he also agrees that it was a good idea. He voluntarily went to the outpatient alcohol program at Geisinger Medical Center, and after weighing the pros and cons, he realized that choosing sobriety was his only option.

Even though $2 Bob doesn’t drink, he says it’s still fun to go to the bar and talk to the students. His transformation from an average guy to a Bloomsburg staple at the local watering holes happened by accident. Bob revealed that he adopted the $2 Bob persona six years ago when he randomly stopped at Harry’s. After awhile, people expected him to have $2 bills and now he says that is part of the reason why he continues to be $2 Bob.

The biggest question I had for Bob was the most obvious, how do you get so many $2 bills and why? Bob says, “the bank orders them in lots of $1500 from the federal reserve”. He also told me that he has always had $2 bills since he was a boy because his grandfather worked at a race track. Bob spends between 40-50 dollars a night giving out his unique bills and says that he has never run out of money. If you have ever seen Bob’s wad of bills, you shouldn’t be surprised. I asked Bob how he can afford to give away money and he replied, “I don’t have any other expensive hobbies except my Penn State season tickets”.

$2 Bob is a relatively normal guy who might have more in common with you than you think. Bob takes one class a semester at Bloomsburg University to get away from work. He says he mostly takes history and pyschology courses, so you might even see $2 Bob around campus. Bob also has his favorite bill as a permanent part of his body. A huge $2 bill is tattooed on his upper back, so no matter what, Bob will always have a $2 bill with him.

Stamps with a picture of $2 Bob and his tattoo

All in all, $2 Bob answered all of my questions and was a great sport about me prying into his personal life. At the end of the interview, Bob left me with this quote, “if people get that much enjoyment out of it, then so do I”. Most people wouldn’t consider a bar the best spot for a recovering alcoholic to hang out, but it seems to be doing more good than harm for Bob. In fact, I give props to Bob for being able to resist alcohol for eleven years while spending at least one day a week at the bar! Hopefully, this article has shed some good light on a quirky but harmless man that you shouldn’t be afraid to talk to and get to know.

Besides, you might even make a few bucks.

Do you have a professor that is exceptionally outstanding? Show your appreciation!

If you will be graduating in December 2009, either undergraduate or graduate, you are invited to nominate an outstanding professor. From now until December 11^th at 4:00 p.m., students can nominate their favorite professor for the Outstanding Teaching Award, sponsored by the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Center (TALE).

Two professors will be selected by a panel after careful consideration of the entrees. Nominations will be combined with May/August graduate nominations and the two winners will be announced at the May 2010 graduation ceremonies.

The two selected professors will receive a plaque that is awarded to them, and their name will be added to a plaque in the TALE Center. The professors also receive a monetary award that may be used toward any professional development, including, but not limited to, attending a conference, furthering education, or supplies that will enhance their programs.

Students who nominated previous award winning teachers expressed that the professors are enthusiastic and have excellent instructing style, sincere concern with students’ success, and have served as role models as professionals for students. The panel for this selection consists of a professor from each college that has previously received this award and a co-chairperson from the TALE Center.

All nominations and essays will be kept entirely confidential. A professor may only receive the award once every ten years.

Go to http://iit.bloomu.edu/award now to start your nomination!

If you have any problems with the form for submission contact, contact Lisa Stallbaumer-Beishline at lstallba@bloomu.edu or 570-389-4310 in the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Center (TALE), located in 1231 McCormick.

The cast is a group of fun loving and passionate individuals who love to perform and educate the students of Bloom about the realities of being a young individual. There were two Acts, each act consisting of 4 scenes. The scene names in this episode were Secrets at the Cemetery, The Vitamin and Her Voices, Karaoke Bingo Night, The Sad Stigma, (Act Two) SGA Meeting, Intimate Glee Clubbers, A lesson, a Lie and The Guys’ Reality.

Each act was interesting and kept you intrigued because they were very relatable to the every day student, just not at Bloom but in general. The acts brought awareness to many topics that I, and any student, could relate to. Topics such as drinking and how fun it can be, but how if abused can ruin even inseparable loving relationships.

This episode also included situations involving teen pregnancy-how to deal with it in the most responsible way, family struggles-who to talk to when you feel like no one can understand, not even your closest friends. Also racism was spoken about, and how it still sadly exists today and the obvious reasons why it shouldn’t be.

Being a young adult at college is stressful in itself, let a lone when there are outside sources affecting your life too. Busted is a great performance to see if you want to be able to feel like you’re really not the only one going through something stressful. They lighten up the mood with their humorous acting, upbeat music, funky dancing and positive attitudes.
The cast of BUSTED will perform again December 7th. Come watch!

Front Page Photo Courtesy of http://www.bloomca.org/BUSTED/index2.html

Best known for his discovery of the sunken Titanic, Ballard has conducted more than 120 deep-sea expeditions using the latest in exploration technology. Ballard’s other discoveries include the Lusitania and vessels sunk during the Battle of Guadalcanal which are featured in his book, “The Lost Ships of Guadalcanal: Ghost Fleet of the South Pacific.” Other books he’s written or co-authored about his underwater adventures include “Return to Midway,” “Finding the Titanic” and “Graveyards of the Pacific: From Pearl Harbor to Bikini Island.”

President of the Institute for Exploration and director of the Institute for Archaeological Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, Ballard attributes his early interest in underwater exploration to reading the novel “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.” While earning bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and geology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, he completed the U.S. Army’s ROTC program and, after graduation, received an officer’s commission in Army intelligence. He earned a master’s degree in geophysics from the University of Hawaii’s Institute of Geophysics, where he trained porpoises and whales.

Ballard founded the JASON Project, a distance education program designed to engage middle school students in science and technology, in response to the thousands of student letters he received following his discovery of the Titanic. His awards include the Explorers Club’s Explorers Medal, the National Geographic Society’s Hubbard Medal and the Lindbergh Award.

General admission for Ballard’s lecture is $19, and tickets can be purchased at the Haas Center box office Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday’s box office hours are extended to 7 p.m. when school is in session; on performance days, box office hours are noon to 8 p.m.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the box office at (570) 389-4409 or at www.bloomu.edu/cas.

Each child receives two large toys, two small toys, a game, a book, a stuffed animal and a bag of stocking stuffers from the donations by people like you. Toys must be unopened in the original wrapper or still have the tag on. Even though the economy is struggling, children still should experience a normal holiday season as much as possible. Last year TFT helped over 4,300 families, and with the number of toys growing each year, the organization hopes to help around 4,500 families.

Even though we are all college student and struggling for money, try and put some money aside for less fortunate children in our area. We were all kids once, so we know what it feels like to experience the holiday season with presents. So please try and donate a toy or two to the on campus or off campus drop off locations if possible and put a smile on someone’s face during this holiday season.

For the fifth consecutive year, BU’s Drug, Alcohol and Wellness Network (DAWN) Office and Husky Running Club are sponsoring the race. All proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society and the Bloomsburg Area YMCA. This year the race includes a one-mile Kids’ Fun Run at noon.

The race course starts on East Seventh Street and continues on Market Street, East 12th Street, Catherine Street, Fort McClure Boulevard and Railroad Street. From Railroad Street, the participants will turn right on East 13th Street and right on Colonial Street, heading back to Fort McClure Boulevard and the YMCA. Streets will be closed 15 minutes before the event begins and will remain closed until the last participants pass.

For more information, contact Lauren Heidelbaugh, a senior management major from Earlville, at lph44887@huskies.bloomu.edu or Zachary Herb, a senior management major from Gilbertsville, at zjh97603@huskies.bloomu.edu.

The American Cancer Society held its first Smoke Out, dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers of tobacco use, in 1977. The event challenges people not to smoke cigarettes for 24 hours, hoping their decision to quit will last forever. The Great American Smoke Out is held annually on the third Tuesday of November.